


The Wager Raid

by Brate



Category: Rat Patrol
Genre: Gen, Humor
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-04-16
Updated: 2011-04-16
Packaged: 2017-10-18 03:28:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 857
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/184496
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Brate/pseuds/Brate
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hitch and Tully make a bet.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Wager Raid

Private Mark Hitchcock tried the door; the result was the same as the other times he had tested. It remained locked. Kicking the door in frustration, he paced the narrow space between the door and the back wall.

Sitting on the floor of the windowless room, watching his companion, Private Tully Pettigrew took a matchstick from his pocket and stuck it in his mouth. They had been captured by the enemy and placed here for safekeeping. Now they had to wait for a chance to escape or for their mates to come to their rescue.

Hitch slumped down on the floor next to his partner. "Why do I always end up with you?"

"Yer lucky," replied Tully.

"That's not the way I see it." His gum popped. "We get locked away from the action."

"What d'ya wanna do about it?"

"I don't know." Hitch resumed pacing. "Why do they split us up this way? Having the two sergeants together would be more dangerous, I should think. They'd plan something together."

"They always do," Tully agreed, chewing on his matchstick.

"That's my point…. Why wouldn't they put me with Sarge and you with Moffit? Then Sarge and I could come up with something."

Indignantly, Tully asked, "You think me and Moffit couldn't come up with a plan?"

"That ain't what I'm saying."

"Sounds exactly what yer sayin'."

"Tully, you and Moffit work great together. I happen to work better with Troy. It's just the way it is."

Tully eyed him carefully. "I say we put it to the test."

"What do you mean?" Hitch sat down again.

"Next time we get captured, I'll go with Troy, you go with Moffit, and we'll see who gets out first."

"Seriously?"

"Why not?" Tully shrugged.

"Yeah, why not?" Hitch smiled at the thought before asking, "What're the stakes?"

Tully thought for a moment. "Loser buys all the beer on the next furlough."

"You're on." The privates shook hands to seal the deal.

The door handle rattled; Hitch and Tully jumped up, ready for action. As the door swung open, their leader, Sergeant Sam Troy, poked his head in. "Let's shake it."

Exchanging a "here we go again" look, the two privates trailed after Troy on their escape.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

"Put your weapons down and step away from your vehicles!"

The shout in German-accented English came over the wadi's rise.

Troy ordered, "Do it."

Hitch shot a questioning glance at Tully who nodded minutely in return. Slowly Hitch shuffled over to stand next to Sergeant Jack Moffit. Tully responded by ambling next to Troy. The Patrol was segregated into two sets of two—Troy with Tully and Moffit with Hitch—and locked in separate rooms.

Once he heard the lock engaged, Tully lazily inquired, "What's the plan, Sarge?"

"There is no plan."

Surprise. "You always have a plan."

"Well, I don't have one yet."

"What's the problem?"

"We just got here. It's not as though I was planning to get caught."

"But it happens so often…" Tully trailed off at the furious look from Troy.

"Why are you so anxious?"

"Don't like being held is all."

"Uh-huh." Troy eyed his private suspiciously. "I don't think I've heard you talk this much since I met you."

"Been savin' it up, Sarge." Pettigrew shook the door handle. "We need to get outta here."

"And we will when we get a chance."

Tully sighed. "This stinks."

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

"Let's hear it."

Moffit looked up from his spot on the floor. "Hear what?"

"The plan," Hitch stated nonchalantly.

"What plan?"

Looking at the sergeant like he had lost all reason, Hitch replied, "The plan to get out of here."

"What makes you think I have one?"

"Why wouldn't you?" Hitch countered. "We need to get outta here."

"And we will," Moffit calmly replied.

"When?"

"When the opportunity presents itself."

"That'll be too late." Hitch paced frenetically around the room "Let's come up with something."

"Well I certainly can't think with all this noise," Moffit reasoned.

"You need quiet? I can be quiet." Hitch was silent for about thirty seconds. "Do you have a plan yet?"

Moffit sighed heavily.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

Troy looked back at the German compound, watching it fade quickly from his sight. No enemy vehicles appeared to be following. Relaxing, he glanced at Moffit driving the rig. "Next time we get captured," he shouted over the noise of the halftrack, "You take Tully."

"Fine by me," Moffit shot back.

* ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ * ~ *

"I can't believe it?" Hitch tightened his grip on the machine gun in his hand. He and Tully were in the rear of the vehicle, covering their escape. "What are the odds?"

"Thousand to one," Tully mumbled.

"Nah, more like a million to one." Hitch snapped a bubble. "Who told that traitor to let us out anyway?"

Tully grunted.

"Now we'll never know who have gotten get out first."

"I gotta tell ya, I wasn't havin' much luck with Sarge," Tully admitted.

"Yeah?" Hitch smiled, showing off his dimple. "If it'd been up to Moffit and me, we would've been guests of the Gestapo."

"So the moral is: don't make waves."

"No," Hitch said, "the moral is: don't trust a traitor."


End file.
